When a person has an injury such as a burn or a sutured cut it is essential to keep it dry until it is substantially healed and/or the sutures are removed. When the wound is on a hand or foot, this can be done by putting a waterproof bag over the extremity and then taping the mouth of the bag tight to the wrist or ankle, with the tape partly on the edge of the bag's mouth and partly on the adjacent flesh. When the injury is closer to the body, it is possible to fit a waterproof sleeve over the limb and tape it similarly on each side.
Both systems have the considerable disadvantage that the wound protection is usable only once. For reuse the tape must be replaced, which normally ruins the waterproof material, and then the protection must be carefully reconstructed. Furthermore, stripping off the tape can injure the wearer, and the adhesive of the tape can produce a rash on sensitive skin. Clearly this system could stand improvement.